In Indonesia, individuals who have completed the Hajj pilgrimage are\noften given the title \u2018Haji\u2019 for men and \u2018Hajah\u2019 for women. It is common\nto address them as \u2018Haji\u2019 or \u2018Hajah\u2019 after their pilgrimage.<\/p>\n
However, few realise this title is not part of Islamic law or\nofficial Saudi Arabian regulations. The practice is a legacy of the\nDutch colonial era.<\/p>\n
History records that two centuries ago, the Hajj pilgrimage was\nviewed not only through business, religious, or spiritual lenses, but\nalso politically.<\/p>\n
Because Indonesian pilgrims often \u2018caused trouble\u2019 upon returning\nfrom the Holy Land. To the Dutch East India Company, pilgrims would\nlearn new ideas in the Holy Land, which they then spread upon returning\nhome, potentially inciting grassroots uprisings against the Dutch\ncolonial government.<\/p>\n
Aqib Suminto, in Politics of Islam in the Dutch East Indies (1986),\nnotes that this perspective first emerged during Governor-General Herman\nWillem Daendels\u2019 tenure in the 1810s. Daendels, who built the\nAnyer-Panarukan Great Road, believed returning pilgrims frequently\nincited rebellion. Consequently, he required them to obtain Hajj\npassports as identifiers.<\/p>\n
The same mindset was evident during British colonial rule under\nGovernor-General Thomas Stamford Raffles. In his 1817 History of Java,\nRaffles openly criticised those undertaking the Hajj, claiming Javanese\npilgrims were \u2018pretending to be pious\u2019 and used their perceived sanctity\nto incite resistance among communities.<\/p>\n
However, as Dien Madjid writes in Pilgrimage in the Colonial Era\n(2008), political Hajj policies were fully implemented in 1859 through\nspecific regulations. These required returning pilgrims to undergo a\nseries of examinations; those who passed had to include the \u2018Haji\u2019 title\nin their names and wear traditional Hajj attire\u2014ihram robes and white\nturbans.<\/p>\n
The rationale behind this policy stemmed from Dutch colonial fears\nand trauma. The 19th century saw numerous uprisings led by returning\npilgrims, including the major Java War (1825-1830). Thus, the government\nviewed them with suspicion, using the \u2018Haji\u2019 title to easily monitor\nthem.<\/p>\n
If an uprising occurred, authorities would immediately arrest those\nwith the \u2018Haji\u2019 title in the area. This was more efficient than\nsearching for the instigators.<\/p>\n
Because, in the Dutch mindset, uprisings were always led by Hajj\npilgrims.<\/p>\n
This is the origin of the \u2018Haji\u2019 title in Indonesia. Post-regulation,\ncolonial authorities maintained strict oversight. In the 20th century,\nas Islamic teachings spread from Mecca to Indonesia, returning pilgrims\nremained under close surveillance.<\/p>\n
Regrettably, post-independence decolonisation did not erase this\npolitically charged address. Consequently, the term has been passed down\nthrough generations.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/how-dutch-colonial-policy-introduced-the-haji-title-in-indonesia-1780162855", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }